Thursday is fast approaching and there is still not a single meeting scheduled between the NHL and the players' union for this week, despite both sides keeping the lines of communication open. If that's still the case by the end of the week, kiss an 82-game season goodbye.

However, it doesn't mean the entire season will be gone in the blink of an eye. By December or January, the lockout could be a thing of the past and an abbreviated schedule would be in place, with a team kissing Lord Stanley's Cup by season's end.

And that might be actually be a good thing for the NHL, even in the future. Jesse Spector of The Sporting News listed multiple reasons why it could actually benefit the league and its players. So did Puck Daddy's Ryan Lambert. As Spector pointed out, the NHL would carve out a start date that would avoid the end of the MLB season and to get away from the NBA starting every season. Players wouldn't be as banged up and fans would pay less for season tickets. If 2012-13 turned out to be a rousing success, a shorter slate of games could be a blueprint for the future of the league.

With that in mind, we'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments section. Would you be disappointed to see a shortened NHL season this year? Or is a schedule with fewer games preferable both now and in the future? Do you think it would help the NHL bring in more fans? If you're a season ticket-holder, would you prefer fewer games and cash back into your wallet? Or do you want to preserve NHL tradition?